I'm saddened when I drive through small towns and see "going out of business" signs and realize that mom & pop operations are hard to find in big cities.  More and more, I'm searching for independents when I shop and look for entertainment.  I want to support  independent artists whenever possible, because I've learned first hand that they are the underdogs. 

 

After building a career making films for cable television, I was proud that Vicki, Laurel and I embarked on a truly independent film in Finding Our Voices.  Here was a film that spoke our voice, a film with a strong point of view...one that didn't have to conform to a cable network's broadcast standard.  My hope was that this film could rise from the ashes of war and inspire countless people during the times we live in and in the future to work for peace.  We all knew that it would be a difficult process, and unfortunately we haven't found a successful way to get it watched by the masses -- but we keep trying and always appreciate your help!  

 

Similarly every year, thousands (perhaps millions) of filmmakers and other artists borrow from friends and family, refinance their homes, and max out their credit cards to finance their dreams.  From painters to musicians, from filmmakers to authors, they've a story to tell, a message to deliver.  Many artists are grateful for the internet and the possibilities it affords us to reach an audience, but there's still a lot of work involved harnessing the internet's power.  I want to take this issue to applaud all the independent artists out there and encourage you to discover the work of a few close to our hearts.  Please check out the links below, and support the independent spirit when you're shopping for goods, services and entertainment!  -- Holly Stadtler, President/Producer 

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"We just finished up a 3 week tour performing for peace and justice communities in the Pacific Northwest. Our concerts, from Juneau, AK to  Ashland, OR, included a wonderful series of performances with choirs:  the Juneau Pride Chorus, the Seattle Labor Chorus, Portland's Aurora Chorus ("Women Singing for Peace") and the Rogue Valley Peace Choir.  In Corvallis, OR, we performed at a fundraiser for war resister, Benji Lewis, who, after two tours in Iraq and an honorable discharge in 2007, was under recall orders to begin active duty on May 18th.  We celebrated a great (and unexpected) victory that night, when after months of speaking out after publicly announcing his intention to refuse reactivation, Benji's orders were recently cancelled!  Benji has vowed to keep speaking out and encouraging others to have the "Courage to Resist" (see couragetoresist.org for more info.) At the end of our tour, we joined up with political satirist songwriter, Roy Zimmerman, to record "Summer of Loving," a tune juxtaposing the 1967 Loving vs. Virginia case which legalized interracial marriage and the current overturn of gay marriage rights in California's Prop 8 debacle.  This month, we'll be in the San Francisco Bay Area to record a full length cd with the legendary activist performer, Holly Near."

Please check out their music and buy from:

http://www.emmasrevolution.com

http://www.myspace.com/emmasrevolutionfans

 

If you like independent films, both features and docs, you need to check out IndieFlix.  They will be carrying Finding Our Voices (it will likely take 2 weeks before everything is finalized), but they have hundreds of great films at LOW PRICES.  Check them out & sign up at:

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102604365063&s=140&e=001qz4i9mIZsM9p6HqC395Im3spiF-xcEL9iYltKuz4e8OkPDBTXAELNB_l4vldUf09bqp5S3LgI3NtFWNbSZp7IBq3Lsffv5p5sPEMoy_JKjc=

AND if you're a filmmaker, here's a link to FAQ about getting your work distributed there:
https://www.indieflix.com/ssl/Filmmaker/HowItWorks.aspx

 

New Screening DATES for Finding Our Voices:

Saturday, 6/27/09 -  12:30pm

Rosebud Film & Video Festival Arlington, VA

 

Festival screens 5 hours of nominated films including shorts and features.  Our film is FIRST 

 

$8.00 All day festival admission

 

Rosslyn Spectrum Theater

1611 N. Kent St., Arlington, VA

 

See schedule for all films:

http://www.rosebudfestival.org/

 

 

 

Durban Int'l Film Festival 

Festival runs July 23-August 2  (specific date for FOV to be announced)

 

Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Durban, 4041 South Africa  http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za

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We love to hear from you, contact us at:

421 Sunrise Dr.

Huntington, VT 05462

802-434-3987

Executive Producer,

Holly Stadtler:  dreamcat@gmavt.net 

 

Director, Vicki Hughes:
vic1823@aol.com

Coordinating Producer,

Laurel Jensen:
laurel.jensen@comcast.net

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