The Borscht Corporation has selected the 16 short films it will commission, produce, and screen at the 2012 Borscht Film Festival from December 12-21, 2012.
This year’s shorts include collaborations with directors Adan Jodorowsky, Ray Tintori, and Amy Seimetz. Borscht also announced three new additions to its musician collaboration series, where filmmakers collaborate with or are inspired by Miami musicians, including the Jacuzzi Boys, Blowfly, and DJ Laz.
Borscht flew in eight guest filmmakers representing regional film centers as diverse as South Africa, Cuba, and New Orleans to create short films inspired by Miami.
Through these collaborations, Borscht hopes to create an exchange and dialogue between various regional film centers, which are increasingly becoming the birthplace of some of the most interesting independent projects. Production began mid-August and continues through early November.
Last year, they produced over 30 short works, including Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke, Play Dead, I Am Your Grandma, and Barry Jenkins’s Chlorphyl, that went on to play at over 50 International film festivals, including Sundance, SXSW (four projects in competition), and Milan.
Most films will screen at Borscht 8, the flagship night of the festival, on Saturday, December 15th at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
Borscht 8 is the flagship event of the 2012 Borscht Film Festival, where the freshest films telling Miami stories will debut. Borscht commissioned some of the best local and regional filmmakers to make short films about the city. Their films will screen alongside other shorts from the Miami community, in a night celebrating stories only a city as strange and beautiful as Miami could inspire.
Borscht is funded by a Arts Challenge Grant from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to continue “forging the cinematic identity of Miami both locally and globally,” in its mission to “redefine Miami in cinema.”
Guest International Filmmakers include: The Voice Thief: Adan Jodorowsky (Mexico) + Asia Argento, Waiting for Berta: Laimir Fano (Cuba), Untitled Animation: Julia Pott (UK) and Soul O: Sean Metelerkamp (South Africa) + Jacuzzi Boys.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
