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OV Gallery: How To Survive In The Shanghai Art Scene

As winter approaches and darkness descends just after 4 p.m. and temperatures plummet into single digits, some people’s spirits can spiral into that proverbial black hole of winter doldrums.  Not so for Shanghai art curator, Rebecca Catching, Director, OV Gallery.  She sees winter as a plethora of possibilities.  “If we didn’t have winter, how could we appreciate the beautiful summer?” she said. Continue reading “OV Gallery: How To Survive In The Shanghai Art Scene”

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Urbavour: A Startup That Gets City Dwellers To Eat Healthy

You’ve worked hard all day.  You’re tired and have missed the Union Square Green Market. You want to eat healthy but you walk into your local deli or grocery store and once again, some bland take out will do the trick for another night.   But what if you knew that waiting for you at home was a bundle of organic groceries from the City’s green markets or local farms?  That is what Urbavour does.  A startup that gets city dwellers to eat healthy. Continue reading “Urbavour: A Startup That Gets City Dwellers To Eat Healthy”

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9,000 Mile Bike Ride Across US to Raise Awareness Of Bullying and Teen Suicide

Bob Votruba, begins a 9,000 mile bike ride around the perimeter of the US today to raise awareness of bullying and adolescent suicide.

Votruba, a father of three and a former contractor from Ohio, began his “kindness” crusade after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre when Seung-Hui Cho, a Virginia Tech senior, killed 32 kids and wounded 23 others. Feeling helpless he wanted to do something, so he started the organization, One Million Acts of Kindness, as an antidote to the violence that sometimes plagues US campuses and public spaces.

In this ride called, Ring Our Country with Kindness (R.O.C.K.), Votruba hopes to amplify the conversation of teen bullying that can lead kids to feeling hopeless, and in extreme cases, take their own lives.

The ride begins and ends in New York City.

We spoke with him briefly while he was in New York City.  Check out the video and for those who want to learn more, Votruba can be contacted through his website.

 

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Legendary Filmmaker, Douglas Trumbull, Kicks Off The BIFF Filmmaker’s Summit And Talks About 4D and The Future Of Cinema

Imagine meeting your friends at the local cineplex for a Saturday night movie, but instead finding yourself at a Cirque du Soleil-like extravaganza.  As you drive to this new auditorium you look around and realize the cineplex, as a building destination, is a relic of the past.  The cineplex is now in your hand.  It’s your iPad or Android.  This new cinema makes each audience member feel as if they are in the movie, a truly immersive experience.  This is the mission of  legendary filmmaker, Douglas Trumbull.

At his home and studio in the Berkshires, Trumbull and his wife, Julia, and a team of film specialists, are working on this new immersive technology.  Trumbull was the first stop on the Berkshire International Film Festival’s Filmmaker’s Summit.

Sarah Patrick Morgese, BIFF Filmmaker’s Summit, Coordinator

Spearheaded by the extraordinarily talented, thoughtful and organized, Sarah Patrick Morgese, the two-day Filmmaker’s Summit, was a mix of field trips to the Berkshires luminous filmmaking and theatrical communities and filmmaker panels for the BIFF participating filmmakers.  In my more than 15 years of attending film festivals, I have never attended a more satisfying, informative and intimate film event.   Check out some of the highlights below.  Also, if you are interested in film, distribution and research, check out our RESOURCES. Continue reading “Legendary Filmmaker, Douglas Trumbull, Kicks Off The BIFF Filmmaker’s Summit And Talks About 4D and The Future Of Cinema”

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Bund Tourist Tunnel, Shanghai: A Video Mashup

The Bund Tourist Tunnel takes people from Pudong New Area, the financial district in Shanghai, to the Bund or older center in Puxi, another district in Shanghai.  About four minutes underneath the Huangpu River, the only locals we saw in the tunnel were the ticket takers. Most Shanghaiers take the wifi-friendly and highly efficient subway in a third of the time and a fraction of the price. Continue reading “Bund Tourist Tunnel, Shanghai: A Video Mashup”

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Saving Face: Filmmakers On Their Academy Award Winning Film

Filmmakers, Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, spoke to a sold out crowd at New York’s Asia Society, about their 2012 Academy Award winning documentary (short subject), Saving Face.  The film focuses on two women who were the victims of their husband’s acid violence against them. According to the film, about 100 Pakistani women are the victims of acid violence, usually by a husband or family member.  But the situation is not just a Pakistani problem, it’s a global problem, affecting women in the UK, Uganda, India, Cambodia and many other countries. Continue reading “Saving Face: Filmmakers On Their Academy Award Winning Film”