Naturally we thought we'd share a few of the pictures we've snapped down there, with this here slideshow. Courtesy of the wild lands of Grand Isle, Mamou, Honey Island, Venice, Abbeville, Atchafaleya, Chauvin, Cypermore Point, Des Allmands, Gibson, Isle de Jean Charles, West Pontchartrain, with special guest, the Boomtown Belle.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
PHOTOS: Location Scouting
As part of preproduction, the Court makes frequent trips south of New Orleans--not only to scout locations, but to conjure inspiration for our next feature film, "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD."
Naturally we thought we'd share a few of the pictures we've snapped down there, with this here slideshow. Courtesy of the wild lands of Grand Isle, Mamou, Honey Island, Venice, Abbeville, Atchafaleya, Chauvin, Cypermore Point, Des Allmands, Gibson, Isle de Jean Charles, West Pontchartrain, with special guest, the Boomtown Belle.
Naturally we thought we'd share a few of the pictures we've snapped down there, with this here slideshow. Courtesy of the wild lands of Grand Isle, Mamou, Honey Island, Venice, Abbeville, Atchafaleya, Chauvin, Cypermore Point, Des Allmands, Gibson, Isle de Jean Charles, West Pontchartrain, with special guest, the Boomtown Belle.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Cary Fukunaga Premieres "SIN NOMBRE" in New Orleans
An admittedly long overdue post-
Court 13 friend Cary Fukunaga recently paid us a visit here in New Orleans, and between the racquetball and the Cajun food, also found time to premiere his new feature, "SIN NOMBRE." A nearly packed house gathered at Canal Place on the opening night of May 8, to watch the film and stick around for the Q & A Cary held afterwards. A picture from the premiere of Court 13ers (from left to right) Josh, Michael, Dan, and Justin, with Cary in the middle, below a somewhat silly marquee:
Cary came into the Court 13 world somewhat serendipitously; when we were in the last of 4 legs of production on "GLORY AT SEA," he and 3 blessed friends from NYU came down to help us finish it. Cary was the Director of Photography for the underwater sequences, and, with risk of tooting our own horn, we think he did a pretty good job to say the least.
"SIN NOMBRE" is the story of a young Honduran girl making the dangerous trip from her homeland to the United States, via the trains of Mexico--where she meets an exiled member of the deadly Mexican gang Mara Salvatrucha 13, on the run himself. Besides being visually stunning, the film has an attention to the detail of the reality it depicts that is based in anything but conjecture; Cary went down to Mexico and actually rode these often hijacked, gang-ridden trains himself.
Everyone should see this film, and not just because we're friends with Cary. It's one of those movies that sheds light on an experience that would otherwise never infiltrate most people's consciousness; it breathes visual life into subject matter that we rarely hear about, and when we do it's relegated to the words of print journalism or pundit talk fests. But right now, it is (probably) playing at a theater near you. Do your darndest to go see it.
Court 13 friend Cary Fukunaga recently paid us a visit here in New Orleans, and between the racquetball and the Cajun food, also found time to premiere his new feature, "SIN NOMBRE." A nearly packed house gathered at Canal Place on the opening night of May 8, to watch the film and stick around for the Q & A Cary held afterwards. A picture from the premiere of Court 13ers (from left to right) Josh, Michael, Dan, and Justin, with Cary in the middle, below a somewhat silly marquee:
Cary came into the Court 13 world somewhat serendipitously; when we were in the last of 4 legs of production on "GLORY AT SEA," he and 3 blessed friends from NYU came down to help us finish it. Cary was the Director of Photography for the underwater sequences, and, with risk of tooting our own horn, we think he did a pretty good job to say the least.
"SIN NOMBRE" is the story of a young Honduran girl making the dangerous trip from her homeland to the United States, via the trains of Mexico--where she meets an exiled member of the deadly Mexican gang Mara Salvatrucha 13, on the run himself. Besides being visually stunning, the film has an attention to the detail of the reality it depicts that is based in anything but conjecture; Cary went down to Mexico and actually rode these often hijacked, gang-ridden trains himself.
Everyone should see this film, and not just because we're friends with Cary. It's one of those movies that sheds light on an experience that would otherwise never infiltrate most people's consciousness; it breathes visual life into subject matter that we rarely hear about, and when we do it's relegated to the words of print journalism or pundit talk fests. But right now, it is (probably) playing at a theater near you. Do your darndest to go see it.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Actors Confirmed for Sundance Director's Lab!
As announced in a prior post, Court 13's Benh Zeitlin was fortunate enough to be selected for the Sundance Directors Lab for the upcoming Court project, "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD." A large part of the lab provides Benh the opportunity to workshop the script with some talented actors ideal for the main parts. The parts to be filled in this case include WINK, a high spirited, semi-devoted father and fully devoted crazy man, who wages war against FEMA, mother nature, and the disease in his body; and BATHSHEBA, a no nonsense pedagogue who rules over her schoolchildren with an iron fist and the stunning form of a lady bullfighter.
Recently, the Court received word that its two top choices to workshop these parts would be able to do so with Benh in Utah. Wink and Bathsheba will be rehearsed by.... (drum roll please) EDDIE ROUSE and PAULA JAI PARKER.
Mr. Rouse's credits include "GEORGE WASHINGTON," "UNDERTOW," Zach Godshall's "LOW AND BEHOLD," and "PINEAPPLE EXPRESS."
Ms. Parker's credits include "FRIDAY," "DON'T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD," "GET ON THE BUS," and "HUSTLE & FLOW."
Needless to say, the Court is extremely excited and humbled to be able to rehearse the script with such fine thespians. We leave you with a clip of the inestimable Ms. Parker, from the cinematic masterpiece "Friday."
Recently, the Court received word that its two top choices to workshop these parts would be able to do so with Benh in Utah. Wink and Bathsheba will be rehearsed by.... (drum roll please) EDDIE ROUSE and PAULA JAI PARKER.
Mr. Rouse's credits include "GEORGE WASHINGTON," "UNDERTOW," Zach Godshall's "LOW AND BEHOLD," and "PINEAPPLE EXPRESS."
Ms. Parker's credits include "FRIDAY," "DON'T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD," "GET ON THE BUS," and "HUSTLE & FLOW."
Needless to say, the Court is extremely excited and humbled to be able to rehearse the script with such fine thespians. We leave you with a clip of the inestimable Ms. Parker, from the cinematic masterpiece "Friday."
Sunday, May 3, 2009
"Of Aurochs and Angels... the Refuge of Art."
The new Court 13 project "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD" is a tale of many things: fathers and daughters, drunks and cowards, pirated ferry boats, hallowed half-time shows, ramen noodles and gator grits. But on a certain, larger scale, it's also about the beginning of the End. And the agent of the apocalypse in this case is none other than a fearsome, beastly creature called an Aurochs.
Long extinct, the aurochs has thawed from its icy grave thanks to the global thermometer's steady climb, to rise again and wreak havoc on Canada... and then our young protagonist's beloved Southern environs.
Sound far-fetched? The stuff of mere fantasy? I present the following video, from National Geographic. Undead woolly mammals: coming soon to a tundra, or cinema, near you.
You can get the skinny on the whole discovery here, at the National Geographic page: photos, the mammoth lab, and a piece on mammoth cloning.
The real aurochs actually have a well carved out place in cultural history, recorded by everyone from the cavemen at Lascaux to Vladimir Nabokov. In fact, we'll leave with a quote about them from Julius Caesar, describing their ferocity in "Gallic Wars":
Long extinct, the aurochs has thawed from its icy grave thanks to the global thermometer's steady climb, to rise again and wreak havoc on Canada... and then our young protagonist's beloved Southern environs.
Sound far-fetched? The stuff of mere fantasy? I present the following video, from National Geographic. Undead woolly mammals: coming soon to a tundra, or cinema, near you.
You can get the skinny on the whole discovery here, at the National Geographic page: photos, the mammoth lab, and a piece on mammoth cloning.
The real aurochs actually have a well carved out place in cultural history, recorded by everyone from the cavemen at Lascaux to Vladimir Nabokov. In fact, we'll leave with a quote about them from Julius Caesar, describing their ferocity in "Gallic Wars":
"These are a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied. These the Germans take with much pains in pits and kill them. The young men harden themselves with this exercise, and practice themselves in this sort of hunting, and those who have slain the greatest number of them, having produced the horns in public, to serve as evidence, receive great praise. But not even when taken very young can they be rendered familiar to men and tamed."
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
JUST IN: New Project Accepted to Sundance Directors' Lab!
A momentous occasion for the Court krewe..
Court 13's current feature film project "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD" was just accepted into the Sundance Directors' Lab! This means that in June, writer/director Benh will flee to Utah from New Orleans (which is just so pleasant in the summer), to meet up with co-writer Lucy and workshop the new film with a hand-picked, top-notch, crack team of advisors/filmmakers/rocket scientists. Beautiful cinema will result.
The press release on the Sundance website gives a brief synopsis of the film:
The news was also picked up here and here. This is Benh and Lucy's second time to Utah--back in January they had the opportunity to attend the Sundance Screenwriters Lab for the same project (The Screenwriters' Lab is like the Directors' Lab... but for screenwriters).
Go Court, and onward to the land of the Utes!
Court 13's current feature film project "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD" was just accepted into the Sundance Directors' Lab! This means that in June, writer/director Benh will flee to Utah from New Orleans (which is just so pleasant in the summer), to meet up with co-writer Lucy and workshop the new film with a hand-picked, top-notch, crack team of advisors/filmmakers/rocket scientists. Beautiful cinema will result.
The press release on the Sundance website gives a brief synopsis of the film:
Beasts of the Southern Wild/Benh Zeitlin (co-writer/director) and Lucy Alibar (co-writer), U.S.A.: In this epic tale, a ferocious ten-year-old girl refuses to evacuate her home in the Louisiana Delta without her dying father as the Southern Apocalypse descends upon them.
The news was also picked up here and here. This is Benh and Lucy's second time to Utah--back in January they had the opportunity to attend the Sundance Screenwriters Lab for the same project (The Screenwriters' Lab is like the Directors' Lab... but for screenwriters).
Go Court, and onward to the land of the Utes!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Road Trip: Acadiana Film Festival, and Points South
Court 13 hit the road last weekend, first spending a couple nights in lovely Lafayette, Louisiana, at the Acadiana Film Festival. Acadiana is a small but welcoming festival, celebrating local filmmakers and the rich history of the area. "GLORY AT SEA" won the prize for Best Short Film (thanks Acadiana!), but the real treat was the Cajun dance parties and getting to see a few of the other films screening at the festival. Court friend Zach Godshall premiered his new documentary, "GOD'S ARCHITECTS," about five men who each build their own beautiful, peculiar monuments to God and love... It garnered 3 thumbs up from our crew; we really cannot recommend this film highly enough. Click here for some clips from the movie.
From Lafayette, we headed southeast to do some scouting for the upcoming film. Swamps, airboats, gators, good food, and beautiful landscape abounded. A rough summation of our voyage is below.
Stay tuned for some pictures from this and earlier scouting missions.
From Lafayette, we headed southeast to do some scouting for the upcoming film. Swamps, airboats, gators, good food, and beautiful landscape abounded. A rough summation of our voyage is below.
Stay tuned for some pictures from this and earlier scouting missions.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
April Court 13 E-mail update
Below is our monthly e-mail update that we recently sent out. If you regularly read the blog, you may already know much of the information contained in it.
If you would like to sign up for our mailing list please go to
HELLO AGAIN COURT 13 FAMILY!
Apologies for the long hiatus! Especially since there have been a lot
of exciting things going on in the Court 13 empire since our last
update.... For instance!:
*In January, Benh and playwright Lucy Alibar were two of 12
screenwriters selected to take part in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab
in Utah, where they workshopped Court 13’s first feature film script
tentatively titled “BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD,” which they are
currently co-writing. The Lab gave them the opportunity to receive
mentorship from some of the industry's top screenwriters. Variety
Magazine covered Benh's trip to the lab in this nice little blurb:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001729.html?categoryid=3584&cs=1
*In February, much of Court 13 moved back to Louisiana to start work
on the early stages of the feature film. Part of this process
involved the launching of The Court 13 School- an after-school acting
and moviemaking class for New Orleans area children. Each of the 20
kids in the class will be featured in “Beasts of the Southern Wild."
The classes aim both to prepare them for acting in and and being on
the set of a feature film, as well as allow them to collaboratively
make their own short movie in the process. Our first classes started
last week.
*"GLORY AT SEA" has also continued its barnstorming of the film
festival circuit. In the last month the film won:
* Best Narrative Short Film at the Cinequest Film Festival in San
Jose, California
* Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Florida Film
Festival in Orlando, Florida
You can always catch what we're up to, in news, photo, or video form,
at our blog:
http://court13news.blogspot.com
And, we're finally on Facebook! Happy 2004! Click below to show your love:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Court-13/43357059961?ref=nf
Finally, we also wanted to take this opportunity to ask for your help with one of Court 13’s closest partners. For those of you not yet acquainted with Rooftop Films, it is a truly unique non-profit organization that works year-round not only to plan for its spectacular summer festival, but also to serve as an unparalleled resource to filmmakers, film fans, and the New York film community in general. The Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund gave the first grant to "Glory at Sea," without which it is likely we would have never made the film. Rooftop was also the first organization to jump to Benh’s aid after his terrible accident last year, and was at the forefront of the fundraising effort to help pay Benh’s medical bills.
If you value the work done by Court 13 or are as passionate as we are
about fostering and expanding the community of independent film, please
consider making a donation to Rooftop Films. (And yes, it's tax
deductible)
http://rooftopfilms.com/donate.html
Thanks, always, for your support,
Josh
Court 13
www.court13.com
If you would like to Unsubscribe, please go to (and scroll to the bottom
of the page):
http://court13.com/mailman/listinfo/court13_court13.com
If you would like to sign up for our mailing list please go to
http://court13.com/mailman/listinfo/court13_court13.com
HELLO AGAIN COURT 13 FAMILY!
Apologies for the long hiatus! Especially since there have been a lot
of exciting things going on in the Court 13 empire since our last
update.... For instance!:
*In January, Benh and playwright Lucy Alibar were two of 12
screenwriters selected to take part in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab
in Utah, where they workshopped Court 13’s first feature film script
tentatively titled “BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD,” which they are
currently co-writing. The Lab gave them the opportunity to receive
mentorship from some of the industry's top screenwriters. Variety
Magazine covered Benh's trip to the lab in this nice little blurb:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001729.html?categoryid=3584&cs=1
*In February, much of Court 13 moved back to Louisiana to start work
on the early stages of the feature film. Part of this process
involved the launching of The Court 13 School- an after-school acting
and moviemaking class for New Orleans area children. Each of the 20
kids in the class will be featured in “Beasts of the Southern Wild."
The classes aim both to prepare them for acting in and and being on
the set of a feature film, as well as allow them to collaboratively
make their own short movie in the process. Our first classes started
last week.
*"GLORY AT SEA" has also continued its barnstorming of the film
festival circuit. In the last month the film won:
* Best Narrative Short Film at the Cinequest Film Festival in San
Jose, California
* Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Florida Film
Festival in Orlando, Florida
You can always catch what we're up to, in news, photo, or video form,
at our blog:
http://court13news.blogspot.com
And, we're finally on Facebook! Happy 2004! Click below to show your love:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Court-13/43357059961?ref=nf
Finally, we also wanted to take this opportunity to ask for your help with one of Court 13’s closest partners. For those of you not yet acquainted with Rooftop Films, it is a truly unique non-profit organization that works year-round not only to plan for its spectacular summer festival, but also to serve as an unparalleled resource to filmmakers, film fans, and the New York film community in general. The Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund gave the first grant to "Glory at Sea," without which it is likely we would have never made the film. Rooftop was also the first organization to jump to Benh’s aid after his terrible accident last year, and was at the forefront of the fundraising effort to help pay Benh’s medical bills.
If you value the work done by Court 13 or are as passionate as we are
about fostering and expanding the community of independent film, please
consider making a donation to Rooftop Films. (And yes, it's tax
deductible)
http://rooftopfilms.com/donate.html
Thanks, always, for your support,
Josh
Court 13
www.court13.com
If you would like to Unsubscribe, please go to (and scroll to the bottom
of the page):
http://court13.com/mailman/listinfo/court13_court13.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
PHOTOS: New Art Show at Colton! Work by Court 13 Artists featured!
This past Saturday, the Studio at Colton--the community arts center where Court 13 rests its mighty headquarters--had its first art show, and Court 13 was well represented.
For a half a year now, Colton has provided studio space for local artists; Saturday's event marked the first public gallery showing of the work created in and around Colton. Said art show was engineered and pulled off masterfully by Court 13's Annie Evelyn, whose own work was on display as well as that of Court 13 corps members Eliza Zeitlin, Bob Weisz, Kate Ferencz, and Z Behl.
If you look closely in the photos you might catch a glimpse of Eliza, Annie, or Z, not to mention Eliza's brother Benh, Z's roommates / Court 13 friends Lila and Charlotte, and of course one of the stars of "GLORY AT SEA," Miss Mama Jo.
The show will be up till the first week of May, so come on by and see what we're up to!
For a half a year now, Colton has provided studio space for local artists; Saturday's event marked the first public gallery showing of the work created in and around Colton. Said art show was engineered and pulled off masterfully by Court 13's Annie Evelyn, whose own work was on display as well as that of Court 13 corps members Eliza Zeitlin, Bob Weisz, Kate Ferencz, and Z Behl.
If you look closely in the photos you might catch a glimpse of Eliza, Annie, or Z, not to mention Eliza's brother Benh, Z's roommates / Court 13 friends Lila and Charlotte, and of course one of the stars of "GLORY AT SEA," Miss Mama Jo.
The show will be up till the first week of May, so come on by and see what we're up to!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Death to The Tinman Tattoo
This is a real tattoo that a fellow in St. Louis will have on his body for the rest of his life. The tattoo depicts a scene from the Court 13 film "Death to The Tinman".
Wow!
Wow!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
"Glory" Floats to Victory in Florida!
"Glory at Sea" recently made a whirlwind tour of the great state of Florida, grateful to be chosen to screen at both the Sarasota Film Festival and the Florida Film Festival in Orlando.
The trip ended fortuitously, as "Glory" took home the gold at the FFF, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short!
So long Florida, and thanks for all the oranges!
The trip ended fortuitously, as "Glory" took home the gold at the FFF, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short!
So long Florida, and thanks for all the oranges!
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