Branford Film Festival is awesome. Seriously. Awesome. Which was a total fucking surprise.

I don’t mean to hate on Brantford, I had never even been there before. And beside it being the birth place of Gretzky, I knew nothing about it. As a result, I expected very little from them. They are a little festival in their first year in a small town an hour outside Toronto. To be quite honest as I sat in the park out front before my screening I was certain that the whole place was going to be empty.

Well, I was wrong. The Brantford peeps knocked it out of the park. Everything from tickets and programs to the atmosphere and the turn out was great. Maybe I am blushing a bit because my screening went over well but I gotta say it was a great experience.

If you are looking to screen at a small but very supportive fest then keep this one on your radar.

If you are close to the area you really need going to this fest as on of your to-dos for next year.

The fest also was pretty surprising with the quality of films the brought in, I’m Still Here, Sounds Like A Revolution, Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning and a stack of great shorts.

The venue choices may have been the odd point of the festival but even that made me love the fest even more. I mean where else can you watch a film where a character snorts coke of a hooker’s breasts and talks about wanting to sniff their bum holes-IN A CHURCH.

Brantford fest, I like your style.

“The death rate per inhabitant of Rio’s favelas is far higher than any other city in the world and one study found comparisons with battle-related statistics more applicable. For example, while 322 Palestinian and Israeli children died in the Intifada between September 2000 and August 2002, a total of 612 children were shot dead in Rio during the same period.”

- Conor Foley
The Guardian UK

Rio is fucked. I love the place but it is fucked up. It’s stuffed to the tits with corrupt politicians, it has a completely disgusting divide between the rich and the poor and even by wildly liberal standards the favelas are nothing short of war zones. (Despite the fact that they are NOT seen as such by some large organizations -War Child I am looking at YOU}.

“A study published in Brazil concludes that more young people below the age of 18 are killed by guns each year in Rio de Janeiro than in many areas of the world formally at war. The study concludes that there are strong similarities between children involved in drug wars in Rio’s slums and child soldiers elsewhere in the world.”

-Tom Gibb
BBC correspondent in Brazil

For all intents and purposes the young and poverty stricken people of Rio De Janeiro’s favelas are in the midst of war. The Favelas are amazing places. They are a sight to behold. You cannot go there but TRUST me they are magical. They are filled with amazing people, sights and sounds but what they have to deal with on a daily basis is disturbing at best.

Both sides are guilty, the cops are criminal murderous assholes and the drug gangs are filled with controlling psychopaths. It sucks in every direction. And yet amidst this there are awesome kids just living life and trying to be happy. While shooting this film I remember going into neighborhoods and playing with beautiful kids. Awesome little kids who kick around a shitty two dollar ball against a bullet riddled wall next to garbage…AND THEY ARE HAPPY. And I remember returning two days later to finish interviews only to find out all those kids had been gunned down a police raid just hours before.

I’m not sure what the point of this post is but I just scrolled through my film and I was thinking, statistically, a large portion of the kids I am looking at will be dead by the age of 20. That just doesn’t sit right with me.

Please take a look at the latest trailer for REMIX-to-RIO.

Cutting a trailer is tricky. And by “tricky” I mean really fucking agonizing and painful. It is especially difficult after you cut the whole film. There is an old rule that the person who cuts the film should never cut the trailer. Normally I like to give the middle finger to old rules but that one makes a lot of sense to me. Well, maybe one day when I have kazillion people willing to help…or even one… I’ll give that advice a little more credence. But when it is a one man army, I make due.

In any case, I have trailer that I cut ages ago (before the film was even finished) so I decided to go a little more cinematically heavy handed with this one. The idea is to get the pint across in a way that might appeal to an audience that is slightly audience than the one I have been focused on.

I like the results and hope you do too. The music is a bit loud on some speakers but that was intentional. I tested it out on a bunch of different machines, laptops, imac, bose systems and phones. This mix was one that split the difference the best for each device. What ever you watch it on…I hope it rocks.

Just a reminder to anyone who might be into it.
Upcoming screenings:
Brantford Film Festival Oct 15
Duke City DocFest Oct 10-15
Hamilton Film Festival Nov 5

The film will get one if it’s final screenings before the the November 1st launch at the Brantford Film Festival. Never heard of it? That’s okay it is in its very first year so I don’t blame you….

Here’s their blurb from WAB:

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Brantford Film Festival will be held on October 15th and 16th 2010 in Brantford, Ontario. This will be an adjudicated event open to filmmakers throughout North America. A variety of cash prizes will be awarded across several categories including: features, short films; aboriginal films; documentaries and student productions. There will also be an overall Festival Prize awarded to the best of all the categories.

Combining all of these films into a two day festival will provide opportunities for the general public to see a variety of films which may not receive mass distribution, and for independent film makers to reach new audiences and explore new opportunities for distribution.

So there you have it. It might rock (crosses fingers). It might suck. But at this point, I’m super excited if for no other reason than I get to see the film on a big screen with an audience. First of all I get crazy nervous screening my film…but I can live with that. The amount I lean from sitting in the dark and watching something I created with a bunch of strangers is amazing. You can tangibly feel every mistake and every victory. Every fuck up and every score. As an artist and a story teller it is fucking priceless. It is a clinic in my strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker.

So if you are near Brantford THIS FRIDAY please come by. I’ll be the guy in the back fidgeting uncontrollably in his seat. Please say hi….

REMIX-to-RIO
Friday October 15th
@ The Brantford Film Festival
ST. ANDREW’S 9:30pm
95 Darling Street
Brantford, ON

Looks like we will have a screening In Hamilton right after the on-line release. I am pretty stoked about that. For me it has been really hard to figure out how to promote a film with an on-line release before it is released. We live in a time when you kinda need to give it away first and then tell people about it.

I am pretty happy that the folks at Hamilton FF have been cool about allowing the screening even though the full film will be posted on-line a few days befor. It is pretty forward thinking of them. The two audiences, although with some crossover, are pretty exclusive of each other. And lets face it anyone who is cool enogh to check out an indie film fest will do so EVEN if all the films are availible on-line. It is a different experience…

Anyway, I’m happy. I hope the film can continue to play big screens even after the on-line launch on NOV 1st.

If you are in the Hammer AKA Hamilton Please check out the screening and to say hi.

Friday November 5th
9pm (Double Feature) $8.00
Anguished (37min)
Remix to Rio (60min)

We just won the MADA AWARD at COMMFFEST 2010!!!!!

The MADA is “AWARDED TO FILMS AND FILMMAKERS WHOSE WORK MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

To give a bit of background on the fest.  We screened on September 26th at Rainbow Cinema at Church and Front in Downtown Toronto.  The fest is a small festival but it has its heart in the right place.  Here’s their blurb:

“Global Community Film Festival is a
charitable organization, combining films and videos followed by panel discussions that include a
question and answer period for individuals and
communities to engage in a dialogue of social issues and cultural exchange through the powerful  language of film in all genres. Its main objective is to bring communities together to increase awareness and understanding that we are more alike than not.”.

Was I excited to win?  Hell yes.  But I was also excited just to screen at the Rainbow.  The Rainbow is a quirky little cinema that I have logged loads of hours at.   Being able to see my own movie at a venue where I have seen some really great films was a huge kick for me.  But there was something more…

Two doors down is a restaurant called the Hot House.  For those outside the city let me fill you in.  The Hot House is a place where every waiter is an actor.  To be more specific, every waiter is an actor who is down on their luck.  I spent almost 2 years of my life living that very scenario.  In fact, if you dropped by the Hot House sometime in 2001 or 2002 and had your order completely screwed up- that was probably me.  I was a terrible waiter.  Probably the worst ever.

It wasn’t just the fact that I was a terrible waiter, it was the fact that I was terribly unhappy.  Things were not going well- obviously- I was trying to make it as an actor and was hucking pasta at a second rate restaurant run by jerks.

I will not bore you with details but trust me, the place was soul sucking.  So much so that even walking by the place fills me with loathing.  What was even worse is that when I would go on a particularly long streatch without a paying film gig and would start to worry that I’d have to joe-job in order to make rent, I would get nightmares about returning to the Hot House.  Seriously.   Nightmares.

Dramatic?  Maybe.  But it is the truth.

To make a long story short- The screening was awesome!  The Award unbelievable.  But the fact that I have two awesome memories to tie to that very same piece of geography that once haunted me…that my friends, is fucking priceless.

Played a stack of festivals so far and have just been accepted into three more!!!

Upcoming screenings:
September 26 CommFFest, Toronto (1:50 rainbow cinema) http://www.commffest.com/
Sunday Oct 10th DUKE CITY DOCFEST (Hotel Blue, 4pm)

http://www.dukecitydocfest.com/

Friday October 15, Brantford Ontario (ST. ANDREW’S 9:30pm)

http://www.brantfordfilmfestival.ca/

I’m getting really stoked about posting this whole film on-line.

Found a new way to get the word out there specifically to the underground nerds like myself.

QR CODES.

These are getting huge in Japan. They are like barcodes…actually they are barcodes…they are the new generation of bar codes.

The cool thing about them is that you can post them around as flyers or stickers and to most people they look like nothing…but to those who are in the “know”, they are like secret invitations. All you have to do is scan the code with your smart phone and you will be taken to the website encrypted in the code.

The image above sends you to www.remixtorio.com . Cool right? I love it.

The best part about it all is that almost every smartphone already has the scanning software installed in the phone. If you have a smart phone, all you have to do is take a pic of the code and you can get the secret link. I love it.

Look for them around the city of Toronto….I am already posting them…..

Any filmmakers, hip-hop heads, artists and freaks want to make a QR Code of their own? check out this: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

I love the future.

I got interviewed for the first time.  I’m a bit of an attention whore so I loved the idea when I got the email.

It wasn’t till I was being asked questions that I was happily surprised that I did indeed have something to say.  This was another learning moment for me…R2R has been an endless clinic for me in terms of figuring out how to be a filmmaker and this “first interview” was more of the same.  I realized that I DID have LOADS more to share that never made it to screen.  I realized that I truly DO believe in the story I told and in the people I framed.

It was a nice reminder of why I did this project.

Also, the write up that Annie G did was awesome.  I couldn’t have paid her to write a better review.  For those too lazy to click through, here is the whole thing here:

Remix to Rio is a feature length documentary directed by Canadian filmmaker Ravi Steve. The film deals with a group of Canadians who take their revolutionary youth outreach program to Rio de Janerio in order to get through to some of today’s most unreachable youth. The story is based in a neighbourhood referred to as “Terra Encantada” which translates into “Enchanted Land”. The area is stricken with violence and crime while facing some of the poorest living conditions on the planet. Despite the disheartening circumstances Remix to Rio manages to show the light at the end of a seemingly desolate tunnel.

After watching this film I was struck by a sudden sense of reaffirmation in a belief that was slipping away from me: art can make the difference in the lives of people. There are times in life that people feel that there is nothing left to look forward to or that nothing they do matters and it is because of filmmakers like Ravi Steve that belligerent cynicism and nihilism get checked if not corrected.

The film is beautifully shot, wonderfully scored, and more importantly it is not pursued in the obvious manner by which this kind of story is usually told. It’s an innovative and rich approach to the portrayal of contemporary problems and a wonderful example to young filmmakers all over the world who want to tackle tough subject matter and situations.

Many documentaries simply highlight the problems people face but this film is a portrayal of a solution that actually works. It’s responsible filmmaking and more importantly proof that artists are not simply on the fringe of society but rather a central and integral part of what forms and holds society together. I suggest putting Remix to Rio on your to see list and once you’ve seen it don’t be surprised if you find yourself inspired to find your own unique way to make the world a better place.

original: http://anniegmovies.com

Fucking awesome, huh?

She also did a video interview with me.  I didn’t realize it was a video interview or I would have snazzed up a bit.  Or at least tried not to look so ugly.   That said, here is me stumbling through my first interview.

Making a film is a herculean task.  It is an uphill battle, a thankless pursuit and all those other cliches.  Seriously it is.  You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him edit your film.

There are things that keep us going as filmmakers when the inspiration starts to dwindle.  Accolades, awards…the hope of money.  But there are smaller things that feed back into our inspiration (and egos) as well and help us stay on track to get the job done.

What I am talking about is tweets.

It is a simple 140 character post for someone but when I see a tweet for my film  (especially from a stranger) I get weirdly excited.  It inspires me to continue.

These little pieces of feed back and support help spread the word about the film, help grow the following on-line and all that important stuff which I appreciate – but really, what I am talking about is their ability to stoke the fire within and keep me working.

REMIX-to-RIO has been the largest undertaking I have done.  I did have some great help along the way but the amount of time I spent slugging away alone on this film has been ridiculous.   I know that indie filmmaking can be a slow process.  But had I known it would take this long I’m not sure I would have started.

And then a simple tweet comes along and makes me feel like it was all worth it.

I know twitter is stupid.  I know tweets are meaningless.  And I don’t care.

Despite how much I believe in this film and the people in it (which is massive), maintaining a positive forward drive over the span of two years is fucking hard.  I’ll take the inspiration in any form it comes.

Much love for all the tweets.  Keep them coming.

-rav-

We screened at Mississauga Film Festival this past week and it was a fucking great experience.

The festival is a small fest outside of Toronto and as a result I wasn’t expecting much but wow…is it ever nice to be surprised.  This is a festival that really fosters camaraderie between filmmakers.  I walked away from this festival with new friends and lots of great connections and most importantly inspired and refreshed.

It also didn’t hurt when we won the BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD.  That was pretty awesome too.

Young Dealer in Tera Encantada

Just thought I’d add some thoughts and lessons I’ve learned (so far) while making this film.  I hope in some way they are useful to some one.

-Don’t do everything yourself.

-Pay after you get your goods and services.

-Don’t be so trustworthy of people- even people you think you know.

-Believe in yourself and your film even when you have no reason to do so.

-Early in the process write down the reason you’re making this film, who it might benefit, and who should see it… read what your wrote often.

-Accept help of any kind when it is sincerely offered.

-Always over budget.  Always.

-Come up with a method of staying organized before you need it and stick to it.

-Save your work after every third keystroke.

-Make back-ups.

-When you absolutely need to buy something don’t procrastinate.  Waiting isn’t going to save you money.

-Don’t make your work precious.  Show it to everyone and anyone.

- Find ways to stay inspired.  And when you are inspired- work non-stop.

-Don’t just hire people, make them excited to take part.

-Learn to do many things at the same time.

-Start promoting your film long before it is completed.  Even before you know if it is going to be any good.

-Trust that it is going to be good.

-Get proper film budgeting software and learn to use it.

-Get another credit card.

-Always thank the people who truly helped you and be sure they know how much you appreciate their help.  You are going to need their help again.

-Make time to learn new techniques while you are working.

-Do the best you can with the tools you have instead of wishing you had something you don’t.

-You never need as much sleep as you think you do.

-Sleep more.

-rav-

Actually, the film has been done for a while now but I have been so buried under a million details I haven’t been able to come up for air to tell anyone.

DVD will be dropping soon and free to all. And of course….the ON-Line release is still in the works with NFB.

Lots to announce soon….

Hey everybody, the Doc is shaping up nicely and I’m dying to get it out there. The second Brazil Trip was completed in December and there is only one outstanding Interview to capture. In the mean time, I put together this PROMO for the REMIX Project. They could always use funding to continue their amazing work. So spread the word (and the video).

The REMIX Project – Promo 09′ from ravi steve on Vimeo.

Ever hear of CitizenSHIFT? They predate Youtube. Yes, I’m serious. And they are “Online media for social change”. Basically they re the video site you should be surfing.

http://citizen.nfb.ca/

Sure is nice to get interest even before film is released.

Today remixorio.com was chosen as a “web pic” on CommandN!!!

They mention our main site and give a shout-out to the project. We pop up at the 8-and-a- half min mark.

Thanks to everyone over at commandN for the support!

Ccheck out: commandN.tv

We are live and moving.

Send everyone to www.remixtorio.com

REMIX-to-RIO (Teaser) from ravi steve on Vimeo.
The Teaser is Now Live!

The Web site will be lauching soon!!

REMIX to RIO – Featurette from ravi steve on Vimeo.

This is a 13 minute preview of the Documentary.

IF it is playing jumpy, be patient and let it load.

The Website REMIXTORIO.com and a 2 min trailer will be launching SOON!!!!
(as soon as it finishes uploading).

SYNOPSIS
REMIX TO RIO is a one-hour Documentary that explores the mindset of today’s disadvantaged youth and the gap that has grown between those in need of support and those who can provide it. As at-risk youth in our communities reject the traditional modes of outreach aimed at them, we find a growing group of young people in need of support but without the ability to accept it in its current manifestation. Traveling with Canada’s most innovative youth outreach organization to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro we watch them test their outreach model on some of today’s most “unreachable” youth.

THE STORY
REMIX TO RIO follows Gavin Sheppard, Drex and the REMIX team as they travel to Rio De Janeiro and join forces with Sandro, an Ex-drug lord turned activist for community outreach NGO, IBISS.

We watch this unexpected partnership unfurl as they bring the REMIX model to Rio and construct a recording studio for disadvantaged youth in Sandro’s Favela, Terra Econtrada (The Enchanted Land).

Gavin and crew also bring three of their brightest students to Rio. The HUTUZ Hip-Hop festival will be in full swing and will set the scene for the REMIX kids to test the skills they’ve been honing over the last 6 months.

Most of these kids have never traveled outside of Ontario, let alone over seas. The culture shock they experience and the perspectives they gain will be life changing.

Interviews with REMIX and IBISS Directors, HUTUZ Promoters and an EX-General from one of Rio’s most notorious gangs are interwoven with the kids’ journey to uncover the specific contexts of these young people’s problems and to provide solutions to disadvantaged youth scattered throughout the world.

Click it.

Hi-Res DIVX version now available:
http://stage6.divx.com/user/ravisteve/video/1729615/What-is-REMIX-Project?

REMIX PROJECT is a youth-led urban outreach project based in Toronto. Moving into their 7th year, REMIX is a bona fide Canadian success story. A story that remains largely untold.

The brain child of 25 year old Gavin Sheppard, Kehinde Bah and Drex, REMIX PROJECT provides the space, support and resources for “at risk” teens to change their circumstances.

The project works. They have a growing success rate that has attracted the interest of similar minded groups around the world.

Gavin breaks down the Brazil Trip.

In mid November of this year, Toronto’s frontline urban outreach project REMIX will join forces with Brazilian NGO IBISS.

This global partnership has plans to test REMIX’s outreach model in an inner city slum of Rio De Janeiro.

IBISS is a massive Community Pillar in Rio. They do so many amazing things it’s impossible to list them.

WANT MORE?
Read the article the Toronto sun did on Sandro.

(copy and paste in URL window)
http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2007/10/08/4559092-sun.html

IBISS WEB SITE: http://www.ibiss.info/

Sandro talks about the Studio project.

Sandro is an activist with IBISS and was in Toronto last week to see how REMIX works it’s magic.

Direct translation from clip:

“Now, many of the young ones are getting older, and younger ones are arriving. What do we do now with the older ones? Do we say “thanks for coming, nice having you. Do you remember what you’ve learned?”.

So this idea clicked with the one that of the REMIX program cause in Brazil the youth have been very into hip-hip music and Brazilian funk. Which is a great epidemic. So we got the idea from REMIX to build a studio in the centre so the kids can graduate with the opportunity to find jobs in the fields of video, photography, machine operator. So we’re doing the venture with REMIX to see if we can take and apply these ideas we are seeing with the REMIX program and bring it to Rio. Which I’m sure the youth will appreciate. More importantly, turn them into good citizens. That’s our intention!”

Much thanks to Sid Melo for the translation.
www.myspace.com/blackcornersent

Meet some of the REMIX Participants.

Calling these people “KIDS” is a bit ridiculous. The program “leaders” are only a few years older than the participants. But lets face it: For graphics purposes, “The KIDS” looks too good to pass up!!!

RIO’s YOUTH.

The problems Rio’s kids and our youth in Toronto face are at once vastly different and disturbingly similar.

The level of frightening violence Rio’s poverty stricken youth face is far more extreme than that of our Toronto youth and yet we find the bleak futures they share are too often too similar. Can Rio offer us a glimpse into the future we are headed for?

What can our Toronto youth learn as their eyes are opened to the harsh realities facing their Brazilian contemporaries?

Interviews with some of Rio’s Frontline outreach workers will help shed light on the similarities and differences facing our youth as well as illuminate underlying causes for the problems facing our young people at home and abroad.

Please see Our Toronto Participants’ bios and pics below.

As jobs shift overseas and expanding corporations downsize to maximize profits, we are left with an ever growing gap between the haves and the have not’s. Low income communities suffer and criminal related activities worsen. Directly related to these socio-economic conditions new environments thrive that promote drug trafficking, gang growth, and increased murder rates.

Increased police presence and tougher laws do not improve these situations and the Canadian government has turned to innovative organizations like REMIX in order to find alternative solutions to alleviate these inner city ailments.

Remix has been invited to Rio by IBISS, a similar grass roots organization, to participate in a collaborative project and to share ideas and solutions for problems facing their inner city communities.

Rios “favelas” (slums) are some of the worst in the world. IBISS has pioneered new programs and created effective solutions that REMIX can learn from and apply to Toronto’s parallel problems.

This film is a chance of a lifetime, an opportunity to document the coming together of two revolutionary organizations and to capture the sharing of ideas and possible future cornerstones in community development that will be established once these two groups meet.