Mecca by the Runnels Brothers

Mecca by the Runnels Brothers

Premiered Thursday, December 20, 2012.

The Runnels Brothers have been working together creatively since the early 1990’s. While living in Los Angeles, they produced and directed the collection of one-act plays HIGH CITY MILES, the one-act play YOUTHANASIA and the full-length play SUNSET LIQUOR. They have directed several short films, commercials and music videos. In 1997 their short film THE MIDDLEMAN, a mockumentary about a pot dealer shot in the style of the television show COPS, premiered at the Lo-Res Film Festival in Los Angeles. Their Converse shoes commercial STAY TRUE has received over 33,000 hits on Youtube. Their feature film YOUTHANASIA was shown nationally on Palm Pictures Video On Demand Film Festival, was acquired by York Entertainment and is available through Netflix.

Their animated short film BREAKFAST WITH BUKOWSKI, with music by Tom Waits, had its world premiere at the Sonoma International Film Festival in 2011, has been screened at several festivals, and this year won the Slamdance Social Shorties Film Festival. After screening BREAKFAST WITH BUKOWSKI at the Long Day Short Film Festival in Alameda, they were asked to sit on this year’s panel as jurors. They recently finished the short film REUNION (starring Modesto actor Jack Souza). They are now in development on the feature film BUKOWSKI: AN ANIMATED LIFE, a bio-pic about the late Los Angeles writer Charles Bukowski, and two reality television shows through a production company in Los Angeles, where they are acting as writers and co-executive producers.

An excerpt of their work:
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Uncle Hartwick by Rachel Nanstad

Uncle Hartwick by Rachel Nanstad

Premiered Thursday, November 15, 2012.

Rachel Nanstad grew up in the remote wilds of Oak Ridge, TN, secret birthplace of the Atomic Bomb. She currently lives in Oakland, CA and works in the Mission District, San Francisco as an editor and videographer.

Works screened at the Center were made between the years 2004-2012. The content ranges from a short documentary about a cat who got his head stuck in a jar to experimental, hand-processed films about dreams, unusual Uncles and music videos.

These pieces explore psychological space, cosmic space, identity and true stories of life on earth.

Also included is a trailer for a documentary work in progress about a public access girl group from the late 1970s that wanted to become rich and famous. Coming soon: The Reed Sisters an American Story.

photo taken by  Diana Elliot

Prolong Expression by John Fandl

Prolong Expression by John Fandl

Premiered on Thursday, October 18, 2012.

Created in Modesto by the Building Imagination Center’s resident filmmaker John Fandl.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuCRL9sVxv4&w=320&h=240&rel=0]

Fandl’s work explores how organizations find creative ways of making a difference in their surroundings. More specifically, how they use art as a tool of healing. This can be many things, from painting a mural on a fence to prevent graffiti, or hiring at risk high school students in a print shop to keep them out of trouble.

The Resident Filmmaker Challenge is a two and a half week long production laboratory that connects the region’s best filmmakers with our own local nonprofit organizations to develop a short form documentary video.

Outside the Picket Fence by Christian Hali.

Outside the Picket Fence by Christian Hali

Premiered on Thursday, September 20, 2012.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvMoMsreuA&w=320&h=240&rel=0]

Resident Filmmaker Christian Hali’s work explores how mediated images and narratives smuggled ideology through popular culture. In his video work, he uses the conventions of film and television (narrative, slow motion, film grammar) as a structure to explore our day-to-day experiences and reflections upon the macro and micro.

The Resident Filmmaker Challenge is a two and a half week long production laboratory that connects the region’s best filmmakers with our own local nonprofit organizations to develop a short form documentary video.